Henry VIII's Wives
Henry VIII's Wives is a book written by Alison Prince. The book is a sequel to Prince's My Tudor Queen and Anne Boleyn and Me. It is the last book in the My Royal Story series and the only book in the series that was not a reprint. The book was published on March 7, 2011 by Scholastic UK. The story follows Beatrice Townhill through thirteen years of her life as she meets four of King Henry VIII's wives. Book description :"On her 10th birthday in 1536 Beatrice meets the King and his new queen, Jane Seymour, at Greenwich Palace. That same day, her friends Eva and Elinor entrust her with their old diaries. Reading these, she comes to understand the lives of two earlier queens, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, as she enters the service of not just one of Henry's queens, but three." Plot Ten-year-old, Beatrice Townhill lives in Greenwich with her parents. Her father is a royal huntsman to King Henry VIII, while her mother is constantly ill. On her birthday, her father takes her to meet the King and his third wife, Jane Seymour. Beatrice later visits her new friends, Elinor Valjean and Eva De Puebla, who are renting a cottage next door. Elinor and Eva lend their diaries to Beatrice, after she tells them about her own. She learns about Henry's wives, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, through their memories. Jane Seymour gives birth to the King's son, Edward, but dies a few days later. Henry begins searching for a new wife, without much luck. Meanwhile, Beatrice and her parents catch smallpox. Beatrice survives and goes to live with her friends, Eva and Elinor. She eventually gets a job in the court's kitchens with Tom Valjean. Thomas Cromwell convinces Henry to marry Anne of Cleves, a daughter of a German duke. Anne travels far to meet Henry, but he instantly finds her "repulsive." Nonetheless, they marry within a month. However, Henry's eye wanders to a young court lady, Katherine Howard. Beatrice briefly becomes a lady-in-waiting to Anne, before Henry requests a divorce from her. Anne concedes quickly, allowing Henry to marry Catherine only three weeks later. Henry is overjoyed with his new bride during the following year, until he receives a letter from Archbishop Cranmer. He learns of Catherine's past love affairs, eventually leading to her execution. Beatrice and her betrothed, Will, tactfully wait, until after Catherine's execution to marry. After a year, Henry begins to court Katherine Parr, who reluctantly agrees to marry him. The marriage lasts for nearly five years, until Henry's death at fifty-five. Catherine marries Thomas Seymour, when her stepdaughter, Elizabeth comes to live with her. Soon, Thomas begins to act inappropriately towards Elizabeth, causing a scandal. She is sent away and Catherine later dies during childbirth. Beatrice ends her diary stating that "Anne of Cleves still lives, but Henry and all his other wives are dead." Characters *'Beatrice Townhill', a lady-in-waiting to Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Katherine Parr. She becomes friends Eva De Puebla and Elinor Valjean, the heroines of Prince's previous books. *'Catherine Carey', aka Kitty, is Beatrice's best friend. She is the niece of Anne Boleyn, Henry's second wife. Catherine dreams of becoming a court lady and settling down. Author Alison Prince (born March 26, 1931 in Beckenham, London) is a British children's author. Prince is well known for writing the children's television series, Trumpton in 1967. She wrote three books in the My Story series, including My Tudor Queen and Anne Boleyn and Me. References See also Category:A to Z Category:Books Category:My Story Category:My Story books Category:Henry VIII's Wives Category:Books by Alison Prince